As of midnight, he was eligible to sign a 5-year $307m contract but hasn’t. This leaves three options. The 1st option is that he was offered it and declined (which is exceedingly unlikely, [as per the Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/06/30/sports/kristaps-porzingis-extension-is-likely-quiet-opening-free-agency-celtics/) *”both sides remain confident that one can be struck soon”*
The 2nd (and by far the most likely) option is that they are still negotiating. Given the amount of money handed out today (i.e. $260m to Haliburton, $207m to Bane, even Poetl got $80m) it seems unlikely that JB feels he should take less than the most he is eligible for.
So either they are playing a game of chicken with that, or perhaps a player/team option on the last year of the deal. The last time JB was up for an extension [it came down to the wire](https://www.forbes.com/sites/hunterfelt/2019/10/21/the-celtics-hand-jaylen-brown-their-first-rookie-contract-extension-in-a-decade/?sh=2785c2ec7528), and: *”The last-minute deal was particularly surprising since reports heading into the day indicated that the two sides were far apart from each other.”* So it could just be a repeat of that, the Team might just be holding out because they see no reason to rush things.
However if the team is holding out because they don’t think JB is worth close to the 35% max, that leaves the (very unlikely) 3rd option, they are quietly shopping him. If so, Portland is the team to watch here. They just resigned Grant, however, unless they do something else, they will be going into next season with essentially the same team as last year (which was 13th) plus a rookie who would take the ball out of Dame’s hand. Given most of the good FAs have been signed, its hard to imagine Dame will be happy with this and unless he was bluffing, might ask out unless they make a trade.
They reportedly might[ have offered Ant + 3 for Mikal Bridges](https://www.blazersedge.com/2023/6/22/23770540/mikal-bridges-trade-rumors-portland-trail-blazers-brooklyn-nets-anfernee-simons-2023-nba-draft) and were turned down. Mikal is actually older than JB, has never made an all-star team let alone an all-NBA. [Here is a comparison of their career trajectories so far.](https://imgur.com/a/sUVy0aZ)
Anyway, I still think by far the most likely option is that both sides just play chicken with the negotiation until one side backs down and they sign the extension.
by IndubitablyGoodSir
11 Comments
DPM stands for?
I feel like this has everything to do with seeing how Grant’s RFA plays out. But then again I don’t know shit.
My hope is that they are ironing out a contract that pays JB big money but he is agreeing to not take a full supermax to give the team a little bit of flexibility going forward.
Or most likely it’s just on the backburner until time-sensitive FA things are done.
I just did a quick comparison of the past all-nba Forwards and Guards since 2011. If Jaylen simply stabilizes where he is at in projections we’re looking in someone between the top6 forwards and “big” guards in the past 12 years in terms of all-nba talent (excluding JT and generational talent in KD, LeBron and Giannis). If he keeps the same thing at age 30 he’d be amongst the top5 at that age.
I posted on [twitter](https://twitter.com/GuilhermeTheis/status/1675084530519011328) because it was easier if anyone wants to follow.
The most likely outcome is that they haven’t even officially spoken yet.
During Smart’s last extension he didn’t speak at all to Ainge for a while. Not because of any drama or tension but because Ainge was busy with the immediate stuff.
Ainge came back and they hashed out a deal both teams were happy with.
Extension talk can wait. FA is very quick-firing, you blink and you miss out on big opportunities.
For example, we were potentially 1 Pat Riley phonecall from getting JRich back on the roster.
Even though JB is our most important/impactful offseason move, it’s not our most urgent.
My feeling was they saw the Kyrie and Draymond deals and tried to reason with him to take something closer to 45-55 per year instead of the full supermax of 307. Like honestly at these sorts of numbers it’s pure greed so long as you playing for a team with a decent payroll. You are still making a quarter or more of a billion but you can help your team contend.
Portland is very interesting because while Dame dominates the coverage, there’s a sneaky great deal for the Celtics **if** they have to move JB.
Brown (and Pritchard) for Sharpe, Simons, and FRP in 26, 28 & 30 and swaps in 27 & 29. Portland can “ride it out” with Dame, while selling their future for Brown now. They keep their (likely late) FRP for the rest of Dame’s run with Brown, Jerami Grant, Scoot, and whatever they can turn their remaining assets into.
Meanwhile, the Celtics get a PG and SG signed for 3 years who slot into Jayson Tatum’s playing style. (And I think enough room under the 2nd apron to resign our Grant?) And picks. Great picks.
While JB & Dame could be really good together – it’s a three year window in which we don’t care about their picks. Those later picks have _huge_ future value as reinforcements to the Tatum team. By 26, Al will be long retired, Rob might need a hip replacement, and KP will be older, more injury prone, and needing a raise. But Dame will be retired by by the time the picks convey, and JB might move on too. High lottery picks to reload for another run with Tatum?
If the Celtics must trade Brown, they should do something like this to make sure Tatum never wants to leave: value now, value later.
Zinger took a little less. Maybe JB takes a little leas too.
I think Jaylens just very careful making deals that’s all, reading all the fine print, thinking, that kinda shit
He gone.